From Bad to Worse
by Motleys Fanfics
Summary: My first Planet Dolan fic (it's a sickfic btw), and my first fanfic in general. In this story, Doopie comes down with the flu and Melissa takes her under her wing to take care of her, before she gets sick too. Meanwhile, madness ensues at Planet Dolan HQ. Please judge accordingly. Rated T for language.


It was a sunny morning. At home, a blonde woman was sleeping blissfully on her soft bed...

DoopieDoOver.

She was laying on her side, her bow tied up on the knob of her bed frame, freeing her luscious hair from the constrictions of decoration. She was nicely dressed up in her Pjs, while also wrapped up in a warm blanket.

She had never felt any more comfortable.

Soon, morning came. Her alarm went off and she slapped it shut. She leaped out of bed in an energetic mood, and left to the bathroom. She went to the sink, turned on the tap and splashed some cold water in her face before using a small towel to dry herself off. Afterwards, she stripped herself of her Pjs, pulled down her panties and unhooked her bra, preparing for a shower.

After washing up and humming a sweet little tune in the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and began blow drying and brushing her hair.

Later, she unwrapped herself, laid her towel on the towel rack and walked back to her room. She put on some fresh panties and another brassiere, and got a robe out of her wardrobe. She wrapped herself in her robe and went downstairs.

She went over to the table and took a seat. Her mom was cooking breakfast for her as she walked over to her daughter.

'Here you go, sweetums. Bacon and eggs!' said Doopie's mother, as she served her a plate of bacon and eggs.

'Thanks, mom,' Doopie thanked her mom joyfully.

'And be sure you eat up. It's flu season, so if you don't keep up your strength, you may catch a-'

An incoming sneeze interrupted her mom. In a matter of seconds, she sneezed over her sleeve.

'Mom, are you okay?' asked Doopie, curiously, her mother's sneeze interrupting her feast.

'Huh? Oh, nothing honey. Just a slight cold,' her mom sniffed. 'Now eat up.'

'Ooookaaay.'

Doopie grew concerned. Nevertheless, she finished up her breakfast and went back upstairs to her room. She untied her robe and started dressing up in her usual attire before grabbing her hairbow from her bed frame and placing it back on her hair, forming a familiar fluffy tail.

She skipped along out of the house and off to Planet Dolan HQ, bidding her mother farewell.

When she arrived at the HQ, she was greeted with some friendly waves from Pandora and Ramona, to whom she waved back.

'Greetings,' greeted Ladybot.

'Greetings to you too,' greeted Doopie.

'Good morning!' said Andiemations as she gave a friendly wave.

'Morning!' said Doopie as she waved back.

'Good morning, Doopster!' greeted Honeybits.

'And a good morning to you too, Honeybits!' greeted Doopie.

'You'll find the rest of the crew on set.'

'Gee, thanks,' Doopie blushed.

Doopie walked off, giving a sudden cough along the way. Fortunately, she was lucky for Honeybits to not notice. She made her way to the set for Super Planet Dolan where she found Danger Dolan, a simple plain white humanoid with a Donald Duck hat, and Melissa, an anthropomorphic blue bird in a jumpsuit, greeting and assisting her into the studio.

'Morning, Melissa! Morning, Dolan!' greeted Doopie.

'Morning Doopie,' greeted Melissa.

'Lovely day for another day for filming another show, am I right?' said Dolan.

Doopie gave a soft giggle. 'Classic Dolan.'

Melissa helped Doopie to the green screen area.

'Now just wait here while we prepare-' Melissa started off, before being caught off guard by some sudden loud coughs from Doopie.

'Woah! Doopie! Are you feeling okay?" asked Melissa.

'What? Oh... yeah. Don't worry, I'm fine,' Doopie insisted, groggily, before sniffling.

'Well...okay,' said Melissa. She was sure something was wrong with our cute blondie. Dolan prepared to start filming.

'Okay. We're live in 3, 2 1... ACTION!'

Snot started to leak from Doopie;s left nostril, before she sniffed it back in and acted casual.

'Hey there! My name is...'

A cough...

'...Doopie, and I'll be...'

Another cough...

'..reading out the questions and- ahh... aahhh... aaAAAHH-CHOO!'

Doopie felt dreary.. then _collapsed_. Her skin turned pale and her eyes went red.

'Doopie?' said Melissa, having caught attention from Doopie's loud sneeze.

She found poor Doopie on the floor, groaning. She gasped.

'DOOPIE! EVERYONE! Everyone, come quck!' Melissa panicked.

She ran over to Doopie and kneeled down beside her as Dolan, Pringle, Hellbent, Nixxiom and Zaragamba rushed over to check out the ordeal.

'What is this untimely interruption?' asked Nixxiom.

'Trust me, I have no idea. What happened?' said Pringle, shaking his head vigorously.

'Must've caught something from Gooby,' replied Zaragamba.

'Aw, no. Don't get me started on Gooby...' insisted Dolan, worriedly.

'Hey Doops! Worink' hard or haldy workin'?' joked Hellbent, as he gave a chuckle.

Doopie gave a soft moan, ignoring Hellbent's crack-up.

'Ahem! Workin' hard or hardly workin'?' Hellbent repeated.

'Okay, Hellbent, cool it,' Pringle insisted.

'Workin' hard or hardly workin'?!' Hellbent raised his voice.

Suddenly, Melissa heard a faint gurgle. She presumed it came from her stomach. She placed a wing on her belly and she felt a soft stomach growl.

'Uh-oh,' concluded Melissa, worriedly.

'Workin' hard or hardly workin'?!' asked Hellbent once more.

Doopie turned her bloodshot eyes up to the demonoid, her cheeks puffing up signalling that she was about to toss her cookies.

'WORKIN' HARD OR HARLDY WORKIN'?!' yelled Hellbent. 'IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION! ARE YOU A, WORKIN' HARD, OR B...'

As Hellbent rambled on and a trickle of vomit dripped off her bottom lip, all Doopie could do was look up at him surprisingly apologetically before...

BLERAGGH!

* * *

'Well, that's just great. All over my best goddamn shirt,' stated Hellbent, dreadfully, with vomit all over his shirt.

A few minutes after the incident, Melissa brought Doopie into Dolan's office, comforting her as soft groaning came from her. A stream of snot ran down her nose as she gave out a few more coughs.

'It's okay, Doopie. We all barf sometimes,' Melissa assured Doopie, stroking her forehead.

Soon, Dolan turned to the pair in his spinny chair...

...before being distracted by its spinning motion. He spinned a few more times, causing Doopie to gag.

'Please... stop. I'm gonna be sick...' pleaded Doopie, weakly.

'Oop!' Dolan stopped. 'Now then, concerning what just happened out there, I can see you're a little... off, so I'm gonna suggest a few weeks off and some paracetamol for a month.'

'What? But I can't possibly miss out on a day of filming. I had an exciting day planned for the new episo-' Doopie started off, before being quietly shushed by Melissa.

'Sorry, Doopie, you poor thing. We just can't take any chances, especially since what happened with Gooby...' Dolan stated, before breaking down in tears.

Melissa felt weirded out, so she left, holding Doopie in her arms.

'So? What did he say?' asked Zaragamba.

'He said Doopie should take a few weeks off,' replied Melissa, as she started walking off with Doopie. 'Aww, poor Doopie.'

'Get well soon, Doops!' said Pringle, giving her a wave.

'Get well soon!' said Zaragamba.

'Bye, everyone!' said Melissa, waving to everyone. 'Bye, Nixxiom,' she said is a cutesy tone of voice as she gave the elf a slight wave. Nixxiom just stared in disbelief.

As the pair left the building, Melissa noticed that snow had started falling a few minutes ago, forming a slight blanket on the ground below them.

'Melissa...' said Doopie, in a raspy voice.

'Yes, Doopie?' replied Melissa.

'What happened with Gooby?' asked Doopie.

'I'll explain later.' replied Melissa, before she felt a slight chill. 'BRR! We gotta get outta this blizzard.'

* * *

As Melissa arrived at her home, she took Doopie into the warm, cozy atmosphere of her living room.

'Well, Doopie, make yourself at home.'

Doopie looked around, and felt relaxed as she stared at the pristine nature of Melissa's house.

'Wow... looks pretty neat...' said Doopie, hoarse.

'I know. Now, I'll just make you comfortable on the couch...'

Melissa layed Doopie on the side of the couch before making herself at home on the other side.

'AAAaahhh...' Melissa sighed in relief. 'Home, sweet home.'

'Well, Melissa, I gotta say, I do feel comfortable here,' said Doopie. 'It'd be better if I weren't feeling so achy.' Doopie felt pained all over. Her nerves were hurting as her body winced. Melissa placed a wing on her head and her forehead felt warm.

'Ooh! You're feeling a little warm. Let me check your temperature,' said Melissa. She got out a temporal thermometer and started scanning Doopie's forehead.

'Woah. Where did you get that?' asked Doopie in amazement.

'At the store, where else?' replied Melissa. She looked at the little screen on the thermometer and was shocked to find that it read 109°C.

'Holy shit! A hundred and nine degrees?!' exclaimed Melissa.

Doopie _gasped_. '109?! Am I gonna die?!'

'No, no, it's not that serious. Still, I think I need to cool you down,' replied Melissa. She got up and went to the bathroom. Doopie was confused. What was Melissa about to do?

'Melissa?'

Meanwhile, at Planet Dolan HQ, Dolan brought Pandora on set.

'So, Pandora, you're our one true hope to save the show. All you have to do is say 'I'll be reading out the questions and answers'. Then you read out the questions and answers, while I blow our viewers' minds with TRUTH!' Dolan advised Pandora.

'Got it,' replied Pandora, as she readied herself in the green screen section.

'All right! Place everyone, rolling in three, two, one... GO!'

'Hi!' Pandora waved at the camera. 'I'm Pandora, and Doopie was supposed to do the Q&A for this episode, but she's out sick right now, and Melissa's taking care of her, so I'll be covering for them today.'

'Aaand... CUT!'

Dolan walked over to Pandora and shook hands with her.

'Good job, Pandy. Never knew you had it in ya.'

'Well...' said Pandora as she blushed and giggled. '...I mostly get it from Melissa.'

' _Really?_ Didn't know that. Okay, my turn!'

Pandora walked to the camera and started filming Dolan.

'I'm Danger Dolan and I'm here to blow your mind with TRUTH!'

Pandora clapped. 'Impressive!'

Dolan took a bow for Pandora. 'It's in my blood.'

Back at Melissa's home, Doopie held an ice pack on top of her head.

'Ooh! Melissa, why does my head hurt so much?'

Melissa was looking through the window, neatly dressed up in a robe as it was getting close to nighttime.

'Me-' Doopie gagged. She was looking green around the gills. 'Melissa?'

Melissa was staring at the snow falling on the ground, having formed a full blanket not too long ago. That was when she had realised something.

It was December, and it was getting closer and closer to Christmastime, which meant snowy pavements and a force-gale blizzard coming their way.

Suddenly, her phone ringed. She answered, as Doopie layed down on the couch.

'Hello?' asked Melissa.

Some worried squabbling on the other line...

'Who's this?'

Some more squabbling...

'Oh! You're Doopie's mom?

A slight squabble...

'Well, nice to meet you! I'm Melissa.'

Another slight squabble...

'Why are you calling?'

Some more worried squabble...

'Ah. Doopie hasn't come home? Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, but... uh, Doopie's sick.'

A gasp, then some crying...

'Okay, okay, calm down! It's nothing too serious.'

Some calm squabble...

'Oh, you're sick too?'

A slight squabble...

'Okay. Not to worry, I'm taking good care of her at my home right now, so I'll bring her over once she's feeling better. '

Another slight squabble...

'Okay, bye!'

During the conversation, Doopie was having stomach issues. She gagged several times, before her cheeks puffed out and she blocked her mouth with her index finger and middle finger. She let out a muffled groan of distress before finally swallowing it down as Melissa came back to her.

'Who was that you were talking to?' asked Doopie.

'Surprisingly, it was your mother. She's feeling a little under the weather too,' replied Melissa.

'Aww, poor mom.' Doopie felt sorry for her mother.

Suddenly, she gagged once again. She held her mouth shut and raced to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and making retching noises.

'Boy, this is gonna be a _LOOONG_ night,' stated Melissa.

Back at Planet Dolan HQ, having finished filming, there was a round of applause for Pandora.

'You know what, Pandy? I think this has been a successful day of filming without Doopie _or_ Melissa. Well done!'

'Oh, hush up,' Pandora joked, blushing.

'HEY! Who's gonna buy me a new shirt?!' exclaimed a downturned Hellbent.

Everyone was busy applauding Pandora for her work on the new episode.

'Say, I think it's getting close to the end of the day now,' said Pringle.

It was now nighttime and as Dolan, his brother Zaragamba and Pringle were going downstairs to the lobby, Pringle found Honeybits, laying on the chairs, groaning and resting a hand on her stomach.

'Woah, Honeybits. Are you okay?' asked Pringle.

'No, obviously. I feel AWFUL! Ugh...' replied Honeybits, clearly in distress.

Zaragamba turned to Pringle and sighed. 'Oh, what is it now?'

'Well, my stomach's feeling weird, that's what,' Honeybits answered Zaragamba's question for Pringle.

'Might I suggest having some fruit before you go to bed?' said Pringle. The very thought of food was enough to make her stomach gurgle and cause her to groan.

'You know what? Here,' said Zaragamba. 'Have some bananas.' He held up a bunch of bananas as an offer to Honeybits.

Suddenly...

 **GULP!**

'B-b..b... b-b..b-b... b-b-b..ba... baan..naaan... naaasss?'

Honeybits was flabbergasted. The thought of bananas cinched it for her.

'Uhh... Honeybits?' Pringle approached the bunny slowly.

Honeybits was sweating all over. Her left eye was twitching constantly and her right foot was thumping repeatedly. All that came out of her mouth was a prolonged whimper as her pupils dilated. She suddenly started shuddering as she tried to get up before falling to the floor. Her lips started to quiver as she tried to speak, but all that came out was an bone-chilling whimper.

'What's happening?' asked Zaragamba, worriedly.

'Just move back, REEAAL slow like,' replied Pringle, as he and Zaragamba backed up slowly.

As Honeybits finally tried to get up, her face started to turn green. And her ears went all droopy, dripping excess sweat on the floor. The whimpering became more intense, and she gave off another fearful gulp.

'Honeybits?' said Zaragamba as she slowly approached the bunny girl, before what happened next gave him a fright.

Honeybits **gagged** , and lurched, kneeling down in front of Pringle and Zaragamba. Her legs were wobbling like crazy as she struggled to keep herself kneeling. Her stomach was gurgling and burbling loud enough so Pringle and Zaragamba could hear. She let out another spine-tingling whimper as phlegm started to come up her throat. She gagged once more, and this time it was a louder gag.

'Honeybits...' said Pringle.

Honeybits turned her eyes up to Pringle and Zaragamba before...

...she **hiccupped** , and slapped her left hand on her mouth as her cheeks puffed outwards like little balloons. A sextuple-driplet of vomit flew out of her mouth and onto the floor, the pressure of bile rising inside her mouth. Her pupils had dilated enough to look like small, pinprick dots. Her eyes started to tear up from the immense pressure, her sweat dripping all the way to the floor. She was letting out prolonged muffled moans as her ears flapped around, dripping sweat on each side, left and right.

Pringle and Zaragamba slowly approached her and tried helping her up. Her right hand was pressed against her stomach, and when her feet were placed on the floor beneath her, the pressure was just too great for her. So...

...she **rushed** herself to the ladies' room, running as fast as a bunny can go.

As she slammed the bathroom door behind her shut with her left foot, the first sound that blasted through the cracks was...

 **HUUAAEEERGGH!**

That, and other loud retches as well as some splattering, filled the lobby as Andie, Ladybot, and even Ramona took notice. Both Pringle and Zaragamba were deeply disturbed by the anomaly; the sounds Honeybits was making would stay imprinted in their minds for the rest of their lives. The loud retching and hurling continued, going on and on as Honeybits regurgitated in the toilet cubicle. It was the longest, most intense upchucking ever heard.

'Zaragamba?' said Pringle.

'Yeah?' replied Zaragamba.

'You'd...better call an ambulance,' advised Pringle.

'Yeeaaahh... sure thing,' replied Zaragamba, as he and Pringle moved away slowly and out of the lobby.

After a good minute or two of playing the whale, Honeybits stumbled out of the ladies' room. Her face was now a darker shade of green and there were bags under her eyes. Her ears were droopy again, and Andie and Ladybot approached the sick bowtie-wearing bunny.

'Honeybits? Are you okay?' asked Andie, calmly.

Honeybits turned her head to Andie and slowly shook it. 'Mm..mmm...'

'Oh!' exclaimed Andie.

'Poor you. Would you like us to commence medical proceedings?' asked Ladybot, stroking the poor bunny's belly.

Honeybits nodded. 'Mm-hmm...'

'Aww, you poor thing. Come on, let's get you a doctor,' said Andie.

'Th-thanks..' Honeybits managed, weakly, before giving out a small burp.

'URP! Ooh... e-excuse...me...'

As Andie and Ladybot helped Honeybits out of the lobby, Ramona looked on at the snowstorm outside.

'Well, I must say, Honeybits put on a real show back there,' stated Ramona, impressed by what just happened. 'Say, where's Melissa?' she asked as she went upstairs to the set.

* * *

Back at Melissa's house, Melissa was watching the latest episode of SPD on her TV, while Doopie blew her nose with some Kleenex.

'Hey, Melissa? What're you watching?' asked Doopie, nasally.

'Oh, just the new episode of Q&A on my smart TV. Look. They had Pandora replace you so they could go ahead with filming without us,' replied Melissa.

Doopie looked at the TV and noticed Pandora.

'Hmm... quick thinking, I must say,' remarked Doopie.

A knock on the door...

'Huh? Who's that?' asked Melissa, curiously. She walked over to the door and found...

...Ramona, standing on her doorstep.

'Ramona! What a coincidence to see you!' exclaimed Melissa, surprised.

'Hey. Good to see you too. Listen... could I come in for a moment? I was hoping to check on Doopie,' asked Ramona.

'Huh? Oh, sure! She's always happy to see some visitors,' replied Melissa, as she let Ramona in.

Ramona walked over to the couch where she found Doopie, with a box of Kleenex.

'Hey, Doopie, you poor sick little blondie,' Ramona greeted Doopie.

'Oh, hey, Ramona! How are things going with Hellbent?' Doopie greeted Ramona.

'Oh, nothing much. He's still whining about his shirt being ruined,' replied Ramona.

Doopie gave a slight giggle before dissolving into a coughing fit.

'Woah!' Ramona jumped.

'Ohh... sorry,' said Doopie.

'Oh, it's no trouble. Fortunately, I've come prepared,' said Ramona, as she brought out a tub of VapoRub.

'VapoRub? Oh... thanks, Ramona,' said Doopie, thankful for what she got.

'You're welcome.' Ramona sat down next to Doopie. 'Now I just got back from Planet Dolan HQ. Pandora wanted me to tell you... she wishes you the best and hopes you get better soon,' explained Ramona.

'Really? That's very nice of her,' said Doopie, gracefully.

'So I assume you just watched the new episode, right?'

'Yep, and I loved it! Say, once you get back, tell Pandora that I thank her for covering for me... and Melissa,' Doopie advised Ramona.

'Will do,' replied Ramona.

Suddenly, she felt her stomach growl. Obviously, whatever she had for lunch was _not_ agreeing with her.

'Ramona? Are you-' Doopie started off, before Ramona shushed her with a hand gesture. Ramona then let out what she thought was a quiet fart... but turned out to be a squelching sound.

She had just _shit_ herself!

Doopie sniffed around, having noticed a funny smell.

'Um... Ramona?' asked Doopie.

'Yeah?' replied Ramona.

'Did you just...' She sniffed again. 'Did you just shit yourself?'

'Um... umm...' said Ramona, as her stomach started bubbling. She blushed with embarrassment, then quickly turned green.

'Hey, it's okay. You can tell me. No need to hold back,' Doopie assured Ramona as she patted her on the back.

Ramona let out a whimper as the bubbling in her stomach got louder. Then, finally, she lost it!

'BATHROOM!' she yelled as she raced up to Melissa, holding her stomach. 'Melissa, where's the bathroon?!'

'Oh! Uh, to the left,' replied Melissa.

'Thanks!' Ramona rushed herself to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Melissa walked up to the couch as Doopie heard some straining, then the quick sound of Ramona relieving herself.

'Ooh! That's not pretty!' remarked Ramona all the way from the bathroom.

The very sounds made Doopie gag as she held a finger to her mouth.

'Quick! Melissa! Bucket!' exclaimed Doopie.

Melissa rushed over to bring a bucket over. When she came back, she brought the bucket over to Doopie, who proceeded to go for the big spit in it. After a few seconds of upchucking, she placed the bucket on the floor and slumped. Ramona had finished her business, and exited the bathroom, with sweat all over her face.

'Whew! I would _not_ wanna go in there if I were you,' advised Ramona.

'Aww, Ramona, you don't look so good,' said Melissa. She placed a wing on Ramona's forehead. 'Ooh! You're feeling _really_ hot!'

'What? Oh, no worries. I'll be fine,' reassured Ramona as she started walking towards the door with Melissa assisting her.

'Are you sure? 'Cause you're looking a little green,' asked Melissa as they had reached the door and Ramona let herself out.

'Melissa, don't worry. I'm gonna be okay. All I need is some rest and fluids, then I'll be right as rain,' insisted Ramona.

'Well, okay... just don't hesitate to call me if you feel worse,' replied Melissa.

'I'll be sure to keep that in mind...' stated Ramona, before she suddenly gagged. She placed her fingers from both hands on her mouth and ran off, desperate to find a trash can.

Melissa sighed in exhaustion as she shut the door and the window curtains. She walked back to the couch where she found Doopie retching in her bucket again before laying herself to rest. She got out a couple of blankets and put one on Doopie before putting the other on herself.

'Phew... what a day,' said Melissa, as she turned out the light with a double clap. 'Good night, Doopie.'

'Good night, Melissa,' said Doopie, as she quickly fell asleep.

Melissa followed suit. They had a few good hours of sleep, when suddenly...

 **URRRP!**

The sound woke Melissa up, and she turned to Doopie, who was blushing with embarrassment. The latter gave a soft giggle.

'Sorry...' said Doopie.

Melissa sighed and stroked Doopie's belly for a second before going back to sleep.

Doopie was sleeping like a baby, having found comfort in Melissa's home.

Suddenly, she found herself in a large, dark, empty room, surrounded by just one light. She woke up, unaware of where she is. She had herself kneeling before her, groaning with tiredness.

'Hmm?' she moaned, causing a slight echo to fill the room.

Suddenly, she heard a sound. She looked around, trying to find the source. She rubbed her eyes, before suddenly, another light shined, and she found...

...a giant, pale white, satsuma shaped ball, feasting on what appeared to be Melissa's feathers. Doopie gasped in surprise.

'Me..lissa?' said Doopie.

The ball turned, and faced Doopie. It gave a weird and awfully bizarre smile at the blonde before rushing after her, giving out a frightening laughter. She screamed as she was about to be mutilated...

...before she woke up, gasping. Melissa woke up immediately after.

'Doopie! What is it?!' asked Melissa.

'Oh! Melissa... I think I just had a fever dream. I dreamt that there was this weird giant ball... it was eating you, then it was gonna eat me!' panted Doopie.

'Oh, Doopie... calm down, it was only a dream,' Melissa comforted Doopie in her arms as she cried softly.

'Oh, Melissa... I think my head's hurting from all this...' said Doopie, weakly.

'Don't worry, Doopie. It'll be alright, we'll just see how you are in the morning. For now, go back to sleep,' said Melissa, as she layed Doopie back on the side of the couch. Doopie and Melissa went back to sleep, and hoped for the better.

* * *

Late at night, outside the Planet Dolan HQ, an ambulance had arrived to transfer Honeybits to the hospital. Inside the vehicle was Andie and Ladybot comforting Honeybits as the latter laid down on the stretcher. Ladybot was patting the bunny's belly while Andie was helping her breathe with an oxygen mask.

'Don't worry, Honeybits. You'll feel better soon,' Andie reassured Honeybits as the ambulance doors closed.

Pringle and Zaragamba watched on as the ambulance drove off.

'Dear God... it just gets worse and worse,' said Pringle, shocked.

Zaragamba agreed.

Back at Melissa's home, Doopie was still asleep before a faint stomach rumble jolted her awake. She knew that it was to throw up again, so she picked up her bucket and hurled once again. After she was finished, she heard a faint retch. She shrugged it off and tried to get back to sleep. Another retch startled her.

'What... was that?' Doopie asked herself. She got up, and walked slowly towards the bathroom, the retching getting louder and louder as she got closer. She eventually got to the door, and put an ear against it. She could hear a familiar voice retching and coughing. She slowly reached for the knob, turned it, and opened it. Upon opening, she found...

...Melissa, praying to the porcelain god.

'Melissa?' said Doopie. The bird turned to the blondie.

'Doopie! Oh... sorry I woke you up. My stomach feels funny,' said Melissa, before coughing loudly.

'What happened?' asked Doopie.

'Well, I was asleep... and the next thing, my stomach was gurgling like crazy,' replied Melissa, rubbing her feathery belly before puking again. Doopie patted her back and help her up.

'Aww, your poor birdie. Come on, I'll put you to rest,' said Doopie, holding Melissa as she walked her back to the living room.

Doopie laid Melissa on the side of the couch before getting back on the other side she was on. She wrapped herself up nicely in her blanket; Melissa followed suit, and they both fell back to sleep.

Meanwhile, at Dolan's home...

Dolan was in bed, awake. He turned to the side of the bed; the side his dog mermaid wife Gooby would normally sleep on. He sighed, then his phone rang. He almost immediately answered.

'Hellooo?' said Dolan, suddenly joyful.

Wat came out on the other line was a loud retching sound.

'Woah, mate! Calm down!' said Dolan, surprised.

The person on the other line gave a cough. 'No, Dolan... it's me, Andie,' Dolan heard on the other line.

'Andie?!'

At Andie's house, Andie was kneeling, facing the toilet, her face green and marked with wrinkles of sickness. She was dressed up in her pyjamas under a robe and wearing fluffy, white bunny slippers, had vomit dripping down her neck, and her hair was a mess.

'Yeah, it's Andie. Look...' She gagged, placing her two fingers on her chest. 'I..I don't think I can come in tomorrow.'

'What?! What for?!' asked Dolan.

'Listen... I just got back from the hospital. Apparently, Honeybits has this thing called... the 'norovirus'. It's called a 'winter vomiting virus', and they said what happened in the lobby was so severe that Honeybits'll have to stay over for a few days so she can have her stomach pumped. I-' She gagged again, slapping a hand on her mouth. 'I think I may have caught it from her while me and Ladybot were helping her, because as soon as I got to bed, I felt this sudden urge to regurgitate, so I rushed over to the bathroom and now... here I am. Sick as hell. I think I should take the week off, if you don't mind. Maybe with some water and paracetamol, I should be fine.' She coughed violently.

'Well, that sucks. Get well soon. Havagudwun!' Dolan bid poor Andie goodbye.

'You too...' Andie turned off her phone. She gagged once more, this time her cheeks swelled up quickly. She dove her head back into the toilet bowl and hurled violently, before stopping to take a breather.

Dolan turned to Gooby's side of the bed once again, and stared at it before he started crying, praying for her recovery while looking back at the devastating news he had received a few days prior.

One day before Doopie got sick, Dolan had received a call from Gooby's younger sister, Snewpee, in his office.

Snewpee had sent herself to bed early the other night with a fever. She woke up an hour or so later, having _puked_ all over her bed in her sleep. She later found that Gooby was nowhere to be seen. She went out, looking for Gooby, desperate not to let her fever get the best of her. She eventually found Gooby, hurling into a blue hole. She approached Gooby and offered to help her back home. She agreed, and they walked weakly together, with Snewpee stopping at one point to throw up. From there, Snewpee phoned in while she and Gooby were in bed.

At that point, he knew it would be a LOOONG recovery for the poor dog mermaids.

* * *

Morning came, and it was still a proper snowstorm outside. Melissa managed herself in the kitchen. Doopie came in and had a seat.

'Morning, Melissa!' said Doopie.

'Oh... morning, Doopie,' replied Melissa, groggily. She was still feeling off from the other night.

'So what's for breakfast?' asked Doopie.

Melissa was brewing some Folgers Coffee. Doopie became curious.

'Hey, Melissa? What're you...?' Doopie started off.

'Yeah, yeah, I know what you're gonna say. Mom says some small sips of caffeine should sooth my stomach. Though I don't see how,' replied Melissa.

Once the coffee had finished brewing, Melissa poured it into a cup and poured into another. They both drank; Melissa took a small sip and Doopie drank as much as she felt necessary, seeing as she was feeling a little better. Both their stomachs gurgled with every sip.

'Wow! I gotta say, Melissa, you make an excellent cup o'joe,' thanked Doopie.

'Well...' Melissa chuckled. 'What can I say?'

Both Melissa and Doopie laughed a bit, before Melissa's stomach bubbled.

'Ooh! Hold on!' said Melissa as she ran off to the bathroom. Doopie sighed and shook her head jokingly before taking another sip.

Meanwhile, Pringle walked into Planet Dolan HQ, hoping for a better day. He found a depressed Ladybot, praying for Honeybits' recovery.

As he got up to the set, he was greeted by Pandora.

'Morning, Pringle,' said Pandory, giving Pringle a comforting hug.

'Morning, Pandora,' replied a meloncholic Pringle.

'So how'd it go last night?' asked Pandora.

'Not so good. Honeybits got sick and had to rushed to the hospital,' replied Pringle.

'Look, Pringle, I know things have been a little hard lately, but I want you to know, we'll be looking for the best solution possible,' said Pandora.

'Yo, thanks, Pandy,' replied Pringle, brightening up a bit.

Pandora got a sudden bubbling in her tummy. She thought it was what she had for dinner last night that was apparently disagreeing with her digestive system. She placed a hand on her belly.

'Pandy? Are you feeling right?' asked Pringle, curious.

'What? Oh, sure. Sure. I think it's just a bit of indigestion,' replied Pandora, before she let out a quiet burp. 'Ooh!' She blushed.

Suddenly, Dolan came out of his office.

'Well, that's brilliant! Emojie's just phoned in sick!' yelled Dolan in frustration. 'Honestly, what's it gonna take!?' He walked off, yelling.

'Dolan's been taking it pretty hard, don't you think?' said Pringle.

'Yeah, I noticed,' replied Pandora. Her stomach gurgled. She looked down, and quickly realised it wasn't indigestion. 'Oh, no,' she exclaimed. She gagged, slapping a hand to her mouth. Her cheeks inflated immediately as bile rose up her throat, filling up her mouth. She then ran off to the bathroom while keeping an arm pressed against her middle. A heavy door slam caught the attention of Hellbent.

'What? Was that my girl, Pandora?!' Hellbent rushed over to Pringle, grabbing him by the arms. 'You! Where is she?'

All Pringle could do was stutter.

'JUST TELL ME, GOD-DAMMIT!' yelled Hellbent as he shook Pringle.

'Uhh, uh...in the bathroom,' stammered Pringle. Hellbent threw him to the floor and ran after Pandora. He eventually arrived, bursting into the bathroom, finding Pandora, although...

'WHAT THE FUCK?!' yelled Hellbent in utter shock.

Pandora was on the floor, grasping her throat. She had vomit drip out of her mouth and run all the way down her hoodie, her eyes were bloodshot, her ears were flapping crazily, and her cheeks looked almost comically puffy.

She was clearly choking on her own vomit.

'Shit, shit. Shit!' Hellbent rushed towards Pandora. 'Come on, Pandy! Cut it out already!' He grabbed Pandora and shook her as she made disturbing choking sounds. He threw her to the floor and proceeded to punch her throat. Pringle and Nixxiom came round to watch the show.

'For God's sake, Pandy! Don't be a bitch! Breathe, damn you, breathe! Breathe! BREATHE ALREADY!'

As Hellbent threw the final punch, Pandora let out a volcanic eruption of vomit on Hellbent, mixed with a prolonged retching sound. This lasted for a few seconds before she cooled down and Hellbent was completely covered in bile mixed with corrosive stomach acids. Pandora let out a cough, spitting out a drop of vomit. Both Pringle and Nixxiom burst into laughter, which, of course, angered the demonoid.

'Well, I always said you'd look fitting in green, my demonic adversary,' joked Nixxiom.

Hellbent growled. Pandora crawled upwards towards Pringle and fell on top of him, causing him to lose balance. The feminine demonic humanoid let out a prolonged moan as she clinged onto the yellow rock creature.

'HEY! Get off my girl!' yelled Hellbent as he rushed over to Pandora, taking her off his hands. 'What've you done to her?'

'Woah, Hellbent! I never knew you cared so much about Pandora,' remarked Pringle.

'You think, dumbass?' replied Hellbent, holding a sick Pandora in his arms.

'Look, she was sick when I talked to her, okay? No need to pull the blame on me,' said Pringle.

'Oh, there's definitely need, you infectious little prick, because now, thanks to you, I'll have to drop Pandy here on her own doorstep! Unbelieveable!' yelled Hellbent as he walked off with Pandora. Pandora gave Pringle a slight smile and a weary wave before she disappeared, to which Pringle waved back.

'Get well soon!' Pringle bid Pandora farewell. He then left the bathroom, found a seat and sighed.

'I just don't get it. What is causing all this? Everyone's getting sick by the minute, if I'm not mistaken,' stated Pringle, sadly.

'Perhaps I could help!'

Froggy With Fries came in and sat down next to Pringle.

'Froggy! How convenient to see you here! You say you know something that'll help me out?'

'Why, of course, silly! Here, take this snow gear. You can never be too safe now, can you?' Froggy piled some gear on Pringle. 'Come, I know just what to do,' Froggy took Pringle's hand.

Froggy took Pringle outside, where they braved the snowstorm and made it to a secluded location next to the sea.

'The ocean? What's the ocean gonna do for us in weather like this?' asked Pringle, confused.

'Just watch,' replied Froggy. 'Yoo-hoo! Gooby? Snewpee?' She called out. No answer, so she walked over to the water and dipped her entire head in. What came out then was a gargled voice, calling out for the dog mermaids. Pringle eventually spotted them, resting on a rock.

'Hey Froggy? Aren't those Gooby and Snewpee over there?'

Froggy took her head out of the water and found the pair. She called out for them, and soon enough they swam over to them.

'Froggy? Pringle?' said a dazed and confused Snewpee.

'Hey...' Pringle gave a little wave.

'Wasn't expecting to see you today. As a matter of fact, what are you doing out in this weather? Aren't you afraid you'll get sick like us?' asked Snewpee.

Gooby gave a prolonged groan and leaned next to Snewpee, who then proceeded to hug her for comfort.

'Baby sister...' moaned Gooby, huddling against Snewpee for comfort.

'Look, we came here because we need some advice. And come to think of it, what are YOU doing out here?' replied Pringle.

'Mum says some fresh air may help us to get over our fevers. We don't see how it's working though. We're bloody FREEZING!' Snewpee and Gooby shivered.

'Well, we've been looking to see if you could help us out. You see, Pandora's sick, Doopie's sick, Emojie's sick, most of the crew's getting sick. So what do we do?' asked Pringle.

'Hmm... this is a tricky one... why don't you try seeking medical advice? Ask a doctor or nurse and I think you'll be on the right track,' advised Snewpee.

'Okay... thanks!' Pringle thanked Snewpee for the advice.

'You're very welcome, my friend,' Snewpee smiled wearily and gave a thumbs up, before she and Gooby gagged. Both their pairs of cheeks blew up like small balloons. Snewpee slammed a fist on her mouth while Gooby placed two of her fingers on her's. They both back underwater to find somewhere to let loose, and Pringle and Froggy walked back to the HQ.

Meanwhile, at Melissa's home, Melissa was laying down in her side of the couch, sniffling and sharing Doopie's Kleenex.

'So how are you feeling, you poor little birdie?' asked Doopie.

'Terrible, obviously...' replied Melissa, blowing on a tissue.

Doopie took a dab of VapoRub and offered some to Melissa. 'Here, share some of my VapoRub.'

'Thanks...' said Melissa, taking the dab of VapoRub off her fingers. She rubbed the cream on her throat before her phone rang. She answered.

'Hello?'

…

'Yeah, this is Melissa.'

…

'No, I won't be coming in. I'm sick too.'

…

'What?'

…

'Andie's out?'

…

'Emojie too?! What about Zaragamba?'

…

'Nowhere to be seen?!'

…

'Honeybits? Yeah, what about her?'

…

'In the hospital?'

…

'The norovirus?!'

…

'Okay...'

…

'Okay, bye.'

She turned off her phone.

'Who were you talking to?' asked Doopie.

'Oh, that was Dolan. He told me things have been going insane since we were out. Honeybits is sick, Zaragamba's missing, Emojie's sick and so is Andie... so far, not too good,' replied Melissa.

'Hmm,' mumbled Doopie.

A few minutes later, a bath was run for the blondie. She dipped in and made herself comfortable in the warm bathwater. She sighed in relief, away from the cold bitterness of the outside world.

'Whew. Nothing more than a nice warm bath to calm your nerves...' remarked Doopie, as a sick Melissa walked in, holding a bowl of chicken soup.

'Here. Be careful with it, it's very hot,' said Melissa, as she placed the bowl next to Doopie.

'Thanks.'

Doopie picked up the spoon from the bowl and took a small sip of the soup. She felt satisfied.

'Mmm! Nice soup. Wait, you haven't contaminated it, have you?' asked Doopie, curious.

'No. I may be sick, but I'm gonna take good care of you even if it kills me!' replied Melissa, before gagging. 'Oh no, not again.'

The anthropomorphic bird humanoid ran over to the toilet and hurled loudly into the toilet bowl. Doopie felt disgusted, but shook it off and carried on eating her soup.

Meanwhile, Froggy and Pringle were sitting on a bench in the park, watching the falling snow. Froggy looked excited for the holidays, while Pringle looked depressed.

'Hey, what's wrong, Pringle? Having trouble finding that holiday spirit?' asked Froggy, cheerfully.

'I just don't get it, Froggy. It's the holidays, and...I'm not feeling it. A lot of my friends are sick, Zaragamba's disappeared and my week is turning out to be a complete disaster. And they say Christmas is a time for getting together. Bunch of bullshit, in my opinion...' replied a severely downturned Pringle.

'Hey, don't be like that! Can't you see? The virus brought us all together!' said Froggy.

Pringle became confused. 'What?'

'You've always said it yourself. Christmas is a time for getting together and being with family. That's exactly what the virus did! We couldn't possibly let it get in the way of our spirit, could we? Look at us! Taking care of the ill... _that's_ being together. Just look at it from my perspective,' stated Froggy.

'The virus...brought us...together?' Pringle began to realise.

'Exactly...' said Froggy.

'Melissa brought Doopie to her home...then Andie, and Ladybot, and Honeybits...and Pandora and Hellbent...I get it now,' Pringle concluded. 'I get it now!'

'See?' exclaimed Froggy. 'Now you know!'

'Wait...Froggy, where's Zaragamba?' asked Pringle, frantically.

'Well, last time I heard of him, he said he was going to stay home because he had a small fever,' replied Froggy.

'Yes?' exclaimed Pringle.

'And I heard last night that he was being rushed to the hospital...' continued Froggy.

'Great! To the hospital!' Pringle rushed his way to the hospital with Froggy. As soon as he rushed into the building, he ran over to the reception desk.

'Excuse me?' asked Pringle.

'Good evening sir, how may I help you?' the receptionist responded.

'Yes, um, can you tell me where I can find a Mr. Zaragamba for visitation?' asked Pringle.

'Oh, yes, a Mr. Zaragamba, is it? You'll find him in the ward. Keep yourself scarce, he's resting at the moment,' the receptionist responded.

'Okay, thanks!' Pringle and Froggy ran over to the entrance to the ward. Froggy walked over to a doctor examining Zaragamba.

'Excuse me?' asked Froggy.

'Oh yes, are you here for visitation?' asked the doctor.

'Sure, sure. Now, could I ask, what happened to our friend?' asked Froggy.

'Ah, yes. Now, I'm afraid he's in a coma right now.' replied the doctor.

Froggy gasped. 'WHAT?!'

'Yes, I'm afraid he's suffered a grand mal seizure. It usually occurs when the person in question is suffering a high fever. It was so severe that it rendered him comatose and it is unknown when he'll wake up.'

Froggy began to tear up, then ran to Zaragamba in his bed, crying loudly as she hugged him. 'OH, ZARAGAMBA!'

Pringle felt bad for Dolan's brother, having to go through this rather torturous ordeal.

Meanwhile, at Andie's home, Andie was fast asleep in her bed. She kept herself breathing shallow to prevent her throat from suffering severe pain.

Then...

...something scary happened.

Her breathing was slowing down slightly.

In fact, her heart rate was a little off as well.

She felt something lodged in her throat.

Something small.

Something preventing her from breathing properly.

She twitched a couple times, then squinted her eyes.

That's when she realized...she was starting to choke on her own vomit!

She let out a few grunts, then twitched a few more times. She tried her hardest to breathe again, to no avail.

She began to jolt, and shake violently. She let out a couple loud groans.

It only took a matter of seconds for her to start spazzing out. She let out a prolonged moan of anguish as her face started to turn blue.

She let out a few gagging and choking sounds as her body continued to shake and rumble immensely.

A good minute later...

...she stopped.

Her head rocked to the side, and saliva began to pour out her mouth.

She was now unable to move any part of her body.

Andie...was dead.

A white glow began to rise on her body. It appeared to be her spirit leaving her body.

Her spirit lifted her head, and she turned her head both ways. She then slowly got herself up and stepped off her bed.

She started looking at herself in disbelief.

'Wh..wha?!' she exclaimed. 'What's...happened to me?' Her voice took on a slightly echoey affair.

She examined herself a little more closely. She was now wearing a plain white cloak, and she turned to her backside. To her disbelief, she found she had a pair of wings flapping around lightly. She gasped.

'It...it can't be! Am I...dead?' she asked herself.

She turned her attention to a small light, which was forming right in front of her.

'Wha..what is THAT?' she exclaimed.

The light grew and grew, until it resembled the light at the end of a tunnel.

'Could that be...Heaven?' she asked. 'No...I-I'm dreaming!'

A faded figure started to come out from the light. Andie became confused, then the figure approached her more closely.

A few seconds later, Andie became shocked at the revelation.

It was her grandmother!

'Hey, sweetie!' she greeted Andie.

'Grandma?' exclaimed Andie. She rubbed her eyes before realising none of this was a dream. She immediately brightened up and ran over to her grandmother, hugging her tightly.

'Oh, grandma! How I missed you so much! I never thought I'd be able to see you again!' Andie cried tears of joy.

'Oh, how nice to see you too! Um, can you let go of me for a moment? You're crushing my ribs,' her grandmother replied. Andie let go and wiped her eyes.

'Oh, sorry! It's just...nothing's been the same since you passed on,' said Andie. 'So...if you don't mind telling me...what's going on?' she asked.

'Well, I heard up in Heaven that you were having trouble with your tummy, and you seemed to have, well...choked,' her grandmother replied, pointing to Andie's lifeless body.

'What?!' Andie yelled in shock.

'So, now you're legally dead. But, hey! No matter! Now that we're seeing each other again, you can finally be with me in Heaven, up in the clouds, forever!' her grandmother exclaimed.

Andie looked a little downturned. 'Forever?'

'Yes, forever!' her grandmother replied.

'Even after the universe ends?' asked Andie.

'Yep, even after the universe ends. So come on, let's go!' her grandmother replied, walking slowly back into the light.

Andie began to tear up. She sniffled, then kneeled down, breaking down in tears and weeping loudly. Her grandmother turned to her sobbing granddaughter.

'Hey, hey, hey...hey, what's wrong? Why are you so...weepy?' her grandmother asked in curiosity.

'Oh, grandma! I don't wanna leave my world so soon! I don't wanna leave my friends behind at such a young age! I still have so much to live for, so many obstacles to fight my way through!' she yelled out in tears. She cried loudly again, before her grandmother shushed her.

'Shh, shh-shh, now now, don't be like that.' She sat Andie down on her bed. 'That's just how life works. From a baby being born in a hospital, to an old man dying from a disease. From a seed being planted in the ground, to an old, dried up flower wilting away. You see, when you die, your soul ascends up to Heaven, and that's where it stays from there. You can't see it while you're alive, because... well, Heaven isn't Earth. Heaven is eternal. No matter what happens to the Earth, or the universe for that matter, Heaven is what lasts forever. So what is the universe will most likely die out from heat death in a few duotrigintillion years? That sure as hell doesn't say anything for Heaven. Heaven will never die. God created the Heavens. He created _us_! And I, for one, know we were BORN to live on in the Great Beyond. That is...the meaning of life.'

Andie began to smile. 'Really?'

'Really, really,' her grandmother replied.

'Oh, grandma! How I love you! How I love LIFE!' Andie hugged her grandmother again.

'Ohh, I know you do, honey bear! Now, are you sure you don't want to come with me yet?'

It took a few seconds for Andie to figure out the answer.

'Yes,' she sniffled. 'I'm sure.'

Andie and her grandmother continued hugging each other, before the latter started laying Andie back on her bed.

'Okay. A few more years. That's it. Then I want you coming with me to the gates,' her grandmother advised.

Andie sniffled again. 'It's a deal.' She wiped a tear from her eye with her finger.

'Okay, I guess this is goodbye, for now! See you in a few more years, sweet'ums!' her grandmother bid her granddaughter farewell. Andie gave a weary wave and slowly slipped back into her own body as the light faded away.

As soon as she was back in her body, she twitched...

...and jolted herself awake, coughing up the vomit that was lodged in her throat. Not only that, she then threw up a massive tidal wave of puke, all over her bedsheets. This continued for a few seconds, before she stopped to take a breather. She shook her head and realised she was wide awake, and looking down at her puke-ridden bedsheets, she groaned in disgust.

'Well, this is just GREAT!'

A few minutes later, she was downstairs, washing her bedsheets in the tumble dryer. Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that Emojie was calling. She answered, and greeted Emojie with a friendly 'Hello!'.

Emojie was at home, taking a nice hot bubble bath. He was equipped with a ladle, which he used to scoop out the hot bathwater and douse it over his head.

'Hey, Andie! How's it going?' greeted Emojie.

'Oh, nothing much. Just puked all over my bedsheets, is all,' replied Andie.

'Ooh! That sucks for you, girl! Are you sick too?' exclaimed Emojie.

'Yeah...come to think of it, I think I saw my grandmother descend from the heavens. I think I may have...DIED for a minute!' replied Andie.

'Really?! Are you serious?' yelled Emojie in surprise.

'Yeah, I think my spirit started crying and pleading for a second chance. And she was nice enough to give me that chance,' replied Andie, telling him the truth.

'Well, that sounds like you're going through a lot today,' remarked Emojie.

'I know. Say how are you feeling at the moment?' asked Andie, curious of how Emojie was doing.

'I'm no better. My throat feels scratchy, my eyes are sore, my nerves hurt like hell...' replied Emojie, before he suddenly gagged, his cheeks swelling up like balloons. '...I feel like I'm gonna throw up...' His voice took on a muffled tone due to the vomit coming up his throat. He swallowed it down and continued. '...and I can barely sleep! So far, not too good for me.' He stifled in a cough. 'I already called in at work and told Dolan I won't be in for the next few weeks.'

'So did I,' replied Andie. 'Hopefully, we'll both get better after a few days...I hope. Get well soon!'

'You too!' Emojie bid Andie goodbye and hung up, and put his phone on the side of the tub.

Andie rested her arm on the tumble dryer and sighed. Her phone rang again. This time, Pandora was calling. 'Hmm, Pandora...' She answered the call. 'Hello!'

'Oh, hey, Andie! It's me, Pandora! How are you doing at home?' greeted Pandora, laying in her bed, dressed up in her pyjamas.

'Not too good. I'm sick,' replied Andie. 'I just puked all over my bedsheets, and I think I died for a minute.'

'Oh, that sounds pretty tough for you. Hope you get better!' replied Pandora.

'Same here. Say, how are you feeling?' asked Andie.

'Pretty good, at the moment,' replied Pandora. 'I have Hellbent in my room taking care of me.'

'I can't believe you actually talked me into doing this for you,' stated a downturned Hellbent. 'I mean, I love you and everything, but this is a little far, don't ya thi-'

'Oh, quit your complaining!' Pandora jokingly exclaimed.

'What was that?' asked Andie.

'Oh, nothing,' replied Pandora. 'Just Hellbent whining like a three-year-old, is all. I'm in bed right now, feasting on some delicious chicken soup. Mmm!'

'Ooh, that sounds like the luxury life! You must have it REALLY going on!' exclaimed Andie.

'I sure do, Andie! I sure do,' replied Pandora. 'So do you mind taking this conversation elsewhere?'

'Oh, sure, no problem!' replied Andie. Her tumble dryer beeped. She opened up the hatch door and pulled her bedsheets out and sniffed them. They were clean and fresh once again. She proceeded to walk back to her room with her bedsheets. 'So, how are things going at PD HQ?'

* * *

Meanwhile, with Pringle and Froggy, they were at Pringle's home in space, on a rock. Pringle was relaxing on the surface of the rock, while Froggy was sitting down, holding her breath.

'Man, Froggy, I never knew you cared so much for Zaragamba,' said Pringle.

Froggy turned to Pringle and shrugged. She usually cared for anyone who had medical complications. Pringle looked concerned.

'Hey, Froggy? Are you feeling okay?' asked Pringle.

Froggy nodded. 'Mm-hmm!'

'Are you sure you don't need to breathe?'

Froggy took a few seconds to think it over. She rubbed her cheeks, which were inflated to their maximum capacity. She shook her head confidently. 'Mm-mmm!'

'Okay...' Pringle sighed. 'I just don't know what to do. Most of my friends are sick, and I'm completely lost in my mind. What do you think I should do?'

Froggy began to answer, but then she realised she'd have to breathe out. She began frantically letting out muffled yelps and waving her arms around. Pringle became confused.

'Wha? You have the answer? Well, spit it out, for crying out loud!'

Froggy began pointing at her mouth, asking to help her breathe.

'Oh! Hold on!' Pringle got out an oxygen mask and placed it on Froggy's face. Froggy then took a deep breath and breathed out in relief.

'Whew!' exclaimed Froggy. 'Okay, anyways...all you need to do is wait until you get sick yourself. That way, you and the others will be even.'

'Really?! Are you sure?!' exclaimed Pringle.

Froggy nodded. Pringle then got an idea. He began flying down to Earth, taking Froggy with him. They landed at the park they went to, and Pringle let go of Froggy's hand and opened his arms up to the snowstorm.

'Pringle, whaddaya doing?' asked Froggy.

'Doing the one thing you seem to know best! I'm letting the virus take me into its arms!' yelled Pringle.

'Are you sure about that, Pringle? Sounds kinda ballsy for you!' replied Froggy.

'I know, right?!' exclaimed Pringle, as he laughed at the face of the snowstorm.

It took only a few good minutes for Pringle to have fully absorbed any and all trace of the virus into his body. It's a good thing Froggy wore her snow gear during this moment.

Soon after, Pringle was at the hospital, resting in a hospital bed, his eyes reddened with bags underneath, and his skin now a paler shade of yellow. Froggy sat by his side.

'Good one, Froggy,' remarked Pringle, weakly. Froggy smiled wearily.

Meanwhile, back at Melissa's home, Doopie was back on the couch, wrapped up in towels for her hair and body, finishing her bowl of chicken soup, while Melissa was treating herself to a warm shower. Later, Melissa came out of the shower, wrapped up in towels.

'Phew! You won't believe how long it took to get all that vomit outta my feathers,' remarked Melissa.

'Damn! Must be hard for you, Melissa,' Doopie responded, handing her bowl over to Melissa. 'I must say though, I _am_ feeling much better.'

'Good for you,' said Melissa, taking Doopie's bowl into the kitchen. 'I still feel DREADFUL!'

'Hmm, wonder what's on TV?' said Doopie, before she picked up the remote and turned on the TV. 'Ooh! The virus seems to be subsiding now! Hey, Melissa! The virus is finally subsiding!'

Melissa stuck her head out. 'Huh? Oh, that's great!' Suddenly, she gagged once more. 'Uh-oh, not again!' She rushed back to the bathroom and retched loudly.

'Man, can't say I don't feel sorry for you, Melissa,' said Doopie, before she layed on the couch and continued watching TV, when suddenly, her phone rang. She saw that Froggy was calling and answered.

'Hey, Froggy!'

…

'Yeah, I'm doing fine!'

…

'What's that?'

…

'Come to the hospital? What for?'

…

Doopie dropped her phone in shock.

Meanwhile, back in Andie's house, Andie was still speaking on the phone with Pandora.

'And that's pretty much my day so far. How was yours?' said Pandora.

'Well, to tell you the truth, I learnt something about life,' replied Andie.

'Really?' exclaimed Pandora.

'Yeah, allow me to explain.' Andie began to explain. 'When my grandmother came to me, she told me something. She told me... that Heaven isn't Earth. It is eternal. No matter what happens to the universe, the Earth for that matter, Heaven will always be eternal. God created Heaven to last forever, and it _will_ last forever, no matter what.'

'Wow...' Pandora was flabbergasted. 'That's kinda deep.'

'I know, it's a lot to think over,' replied Andie. 'You think you're gonna pull through?'

'Yep! As long as Hellbent's on my side,' replied Pandora.

'Well, gotta go now. I need my beauty sleep. Bye!' Andie greeted Pandora goodbye.

'Bye, get some rest!' Pandora lightly waved.

'You too!' Andie hung up, and rested her head on her pillow, quickly falling asleep.

Meanwhile, underwater, Gooby and Snewpee were laying in their beds, groaning in utter distress from the pain they were going through. Their bodies ached all over, their eyes looked like their were bloodshot, and their skin were as pale as bleach. Snewpee opened her eyes at her older sister.

'Gooby?' moaned Snewpee.

'Yeah?' Gooby weakly responded.

'I just wanna let you know... no matter what happens to us... I'll always love you,' replied Snewpee, smiling feebily at Gooby.

Gooby smiled at her baby sister and groaned, before the pair shut their eyes again.

At the hospital, Honeybits was resting up in her bed, with Ladybot sitting by her side, holding a basin.

'Thanks for being with me during this troubled time, Ladybot,' said Honeybits, feebly.

'My pleasure, Ms. Honeybits,' replied Ladybot, stroking Honeybits' head. Suddenly, Honeybits gagged. Her cheeks inflated quickly as she put a finger to her lips. Ladybot quickly handed over her basin and the bunny let it out into said basin.

From the curtain, Froggy poked her head out and waved. Ladybot waved back.

'Greetings, Froggy. What brings you here?' said Ladybot, curious to Froggy's presence.

'Oh, nothing serious,' replied Froggy. 'Pringle's sick, that's all, and I'm here to watch over him while's he's ill.'

'Must sound like a tough job for ya,' remarked Honeybits, wiping vomit off her lips.

'Actually, it's pretty fun!' replied Froggy, joyfully. She waved. 'Merry Christmas!'

'Merry Christmas!' said Ladybot and Honeybits in unison.

Behind the curtain, the pair could see Pringle's hand lightly waving at them. They waved back, of course.

Suddenly, the doors opened. It was Melissa and Doopie, walking into the ward. Upon walking in, Doopie spotted Ramona, laying in her own hospital bed, with a damp cloth on her forehead.

'Ramona?' Doopie became confused. Ramona lightly waved at her, before Doopie and Melissa continued walking.

'Hey, Froggy,' Doopie waved at Froggy.

'Hey,' Froggy responded.

'We came as soon as I got your call,' said Doopie. 'What's wrong with Pringle again?'

'Oh, nothing,' replied Froggy. 'He's just a little sick.'

Doopie turned to the bed Pringle was laying on and was shocked to see how awful he looked.

'Pringle?' exclaimed Doopie.

'Hey...' Pringle gave a weary wave at the duo.

Doopie and Melissa lightly waved back at him. Melissa was holding onto Doopie with one wing and holding her stomach with the other.

'Now, tell me,' said Doopie. 'Is it serious?'

'Naw, girl,' replied Pringle, weakly. 'It's a simple case of the flu. Froggy here told me that if I got sick, everything would be evened out.'

'Froggy... is that true?' said Doopie, confused.

Froggy nodded.

'I...I don't get it,' said Doopie, flabbergasted. 'Why did you go along with it, Pringle?'

'See...' Pringle started off. 'I realised that if I got sick, we'd all be even. Don't you see? The virus brought all of us together during the holiday season. Everybody's taking care of each other, even Hellbent. After all, he may be rough on the outside, like he really doesn't wanna do it...' Pringle stopped to throw up. Froggy patted his back. '...but I know deep down he really cares about Pandora or something like that.'

Melissa shrugged. 'Well, can't argue with that.'

'Agreed,' said Doopie. 'Well, Pringle, you seem to have made your point. I hope you get better soon. And Froggy?'

'Yeah?' said Froggy.

Doopie gave her a thumbs up. 'Good one.' Froggy gave a thumbs up back at her.

'Well, see ya!' Doopie and Melissa bid Pringle and Froggy goodbye. Before they left, however, they stopped by at Ramona's bed.

'Say, Ramona, how did you end up here?' asked Doopie. 'I thought you'd be taken care of at home.'

'Oh, I'm sorry...' replied Ramona, before coughing. 'I just had to see a doctor. My ailment was just too severe. Hopefully, I'll be out in a day or two.'

'Okay, bye!' Doopie bid Ramona goodbye.

'Bye!' Ramona waved at Doopie.

Just as Doopie and Melissa were leaving the hospital, Doopie suddenly got a phone call. She checked, and it was from Gooby. She immediately answered.

'Hello, this is DoopieDoOver!'

Meanwhile, Dolan was in his office at PD HQ, looking at a picture of Gooby and sighing. Then, his door knocked. He walked over and found Doopie standing before him.

'Doopie!' exclaimed Dolan in surprise. 'You're back!'

'I sure am!' replied Doopie. I just put Melissa to bed at her house and I've come to deliver a message...from Gooby!'

'Gooby?' Dolan became curious.

'Yep!' said Doopie. 'She said she and Snewpee are on the road to recovery and she's looking forward to seeing you again!'

'Really?' Dolan became excited.

'Really, really!' Doopie nodded.

Suddenly, Dolan ran out of his office. 'Hold on, Gooby! I'm coming!'

Doopie gave a slight chuckle.

Back at Melissa's house, Melissa was back on the couch, covered in a blanket and resting with her wings being used as a pillow. Doopie came in.

'Hey, Doopie! How'd it go?' said Melissa.

'Pretty well,' replied Doopie. 'I just told Dolan what Gooby told me, and he's running to her home with scuba gear as we speak.'

'Well, good for him!' said Melissa.

'By the way, you won't mind me staying over for a few days to take care of you, right?' asked Doopie.

'No, no, I don't mind,' replied Melissa. 'I could use the company.'

'Aww!' Doopie hugged Melissa. 'Merry Christmas, Melissa.'

'Merry Christmas, Doopie,' said Melissa, hugging the blondie back.

* * *

Two days later, Doopie and Melissa were back at the hospital. Melissa and Ramona were having a friendly conversation and laughing together, Ladybot was feeding a recovering Honeybits, and Doopie met up with Pringle and Froggy.

'Hey, Doops!' Pringle gave a friendly wave.

'Hey, Pringle!' Doopie waved back. 'How are you feeling now?'

'I'm on the road to recovery, baby! All thanks to Froggy!' replied Pringle. Froggy chuckled.

'Great!' exclaimed Doopie. 'I just got a few phone calls from our friends. Andie's slowly getting better, and she's been kept company on the phone by Pandora. Speaking of which, Pandora and Emojie's getting better by the minute and we should expect them back at work after Christmas break. Oh! And Andie just told me that she DIED for a moment and saw her grandma!'

'Ooh, that sounds interesting to hear!' said Froggy. 'Speaking of which, we only have three more days left before Christmas!'

Pringle laughed. 'Don't worry your love of fries off, Froggy! I'm sure we'll be out of the hospital in time for Christmas Eve!'

Froggy sighed in relief, before she suddenly felt a hiccup. 'Oop!' She laughed it off, before she gagged. 'Wuh-oh!' She slapped both her hands on her mouth and ran off to find a bathroom.

'Better out than in, I always say!' remarked Doopie, before she and Pringle both laughed joyfully.

All was well again.

 **THAT'S ALL FOLKS!**


End file.
